Irish Shortbread Cookies
This easy recipe shows you how to make some Irish shortbread cookies. These are so easy to make and go very well with your afternoon tea or morning elevenses.
Shortbread is a classic Scottish biscuit that is known for its crumbly texture and buttery flavour. It is made from a simple combination of butter, sugar, and flour. And it has a melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes it a favourite among many people (especially my wife!)
Shortbread
Shortbread is traditionally a Scottish biscuit. It is produced in large numbers in the UK and exported all over the globe, most often in tins with some sort of Scottish tartan on the outside.
In fact, there was a bit of an uproar a few years ago when Walkers, one of the large producers, started selling one of its shortbread products abroad with the Union Jack flag instead of the Scottish saltire.
This did not go down well with their loyal Scottish customers and they had no choice but to change it back to a tartan packaging!
Shortbread is often associated with holidays and special occasions, such as Christmas and weddings. In Scotland, it is traditional to serve shortbread alongside a glass of whiskey. The buttery taste of the biscuit complements the rich and smoky flavour of the whiskey.
Irish Shortbread
However, butter shortbread is actually made and consumed all over Britain and Ireland. In this recipe, I have used all Irish ingredients, Irish butter and flour, and I made them on the West Coast of Ireland.
I reckon this makes them Irish shortbread 😊! So use this recipe to make your own Irish shortbread cookies for St. Patrick’s Day!
Shortbread is rich in butter and sugar and probably not the food you would want to eat if you are on a diet – but that is why it tastes so good! All the good stuff tends to be less than healthy.
But sometimes we all need a treat, even just to keep us going until the next hot meal.
How to cut shortbread?
These biscuits can be shaped any way you like, but the traditional way is to cut into fingers or rounds. You may want to experiment with different thicknesses until you have perfected them, but beware, they are quite crumbly.
Sprinkling the cookies with sugar is not really essential but I think it does make them look better (as well as adding even more calories !)
I hope you enjoy this little snack and look forward to hearing how you get on.
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Please leave any feedback in the comments section below!
How to make Irish Shortbread cookies
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Irish Shortbread Cookies
These crumbly buttery shortbread cookies will go down very well at tea time with a nice cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- 200g salted Irish butter
- 80g cornflour (corn starch)
- 80g caster sugar (and some extra to sprinkle)
Instructions
- Pre-eat the oven to 160C and prepare a suitably sized baking tin by buttering and lining with a thin layer of flour. Use some parchment paper or baking sheet if you prefer.
- Soften the butter first (if it has come out of the fridge just put it into the microwave for 30 seconds).
- Mix the butter and sugar together. Using a mixer makes this a lot easier.
- Slowly add the cornflour and plain flour and mix to form the cookie dough.
- Put the dough into your baking tin and press it flat. The dough is quite malleable and will keep its shape well. Pattern the top with a fork before cooking and roll flat with a rolling pin if necessary.
- Place in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until very slightly browned on the outside.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with caster sugar after 5 minutes.
- Then cut out the shapes you want for your cookies (fingers or rounds).
- Allow to completely cool fully before separating the cookies from each other.
Notes
Serve up with a nice cup of tea.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
This nutrition information was automatically calculated by Nutritionix, but may not be 100% accurate.
Fiona
Friday 12th of January 2024
Hi Gavin, I’m Fiona and I’m Scottish! I would just like to thank you for the best shortbread recipe ever. It made really crumbly melt- in -the - mouth shortbread, so good that I made another batch the next day!
Gav
Saturday 13th of January 2024
So glad you enjoyed my recipe Fiona! Thanks for your comments! I am actually an honorary Scotsman myself (long story!). Kilt does not fit anymore though.......
Fiona Ferguson
Sunday 15th of October 2023
No! Shortbread is absolutely, definitely NOT Irish! It is a Scottish as bagpipses and kilts! Don't ever call is Irish!
Gav
Sunday 15th of October 2023
Read the text. I say it is Scottish. Bagpipes and kilts are Irish as well btw!